In the United States, lower income communities and people of color are disproportionately burdened by environmental degradation. These communities often live closer to to freeways, factories, power plants, toxic dumps and/or, fields sprayed with pesticides. They have worse health outcomes and are under-resourced to address these environmental issues. Environmental justice activists are fighting to lessen the impacts and clean up the environment of these communities.

Think globally, act locally, is still relevant. Residents near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, CA (the nation’s largest port system) have a 60% higher cancer risk. But, a coalition of environmental justice groups continues to successfully get the ports to make drastic air pollution reductions, improving the lives of thousands of families.

When a group like Shoresh in Toronto hosts local families to harvest honey on its farm, the impacts of this simple act are numerous. It supports local honeybee populations (who are responsible for every third bite of food we eat), inspires kids to be environmentally responsible, upholds Jewish values about protecting God’s creation and encourages sustainable agriculture.

In celebration of the pursuit of justice, the teaching not to chop down fruit trees and the comparison of righteous people to that of a tamar (date palm) the recipe this week is date paste. Date paste is incredibly easy to prepare and can be used in many different ways. Try it on a piece of challah, spread on a pancake or mixed with berries.

​​Shoftim: Date Paste

Ingredients:About a cup of dates, water

Preparation1. Remove pits and ends of dates. Soak the dates in water for 1-2 hours. (enough water to cover the dates).

2. Remove from water and add dates to a blender. Add water slowly to keep consistency thick and smooth.

​B’tayavon!

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SHAMAYIM: Jewish Animal Advocacy is a Jewish animal welfare organization that educates leaders, trains advocates, and leads campaigns for the ethical treatment of animals. Contact us at info@shamayimvaretz.org